Hiring staff for your business is an especially difficult task. Especially since most hiring managers and Human Resources representatives don’t have direct experience in the positions and skill-sets they are searching for candidates in. These are the 7 biggest mistakes hiring managers make when conducting job searches for new employees:
Doing little or poor background checking of the individual. Many organizations today don’t even bother to check a job candidate’s references, work history or educational background. Unfortunately, it’s a well-known fact that many potential employees lie and fudge on their resumes.
Not conducting a good, thorough interview. It’s extremely important to find out if the candidate is not only a great fit for the position, but also a good fit for your organization and business culture. All too often interviewers ask too general of questions or don’t ask questions that will get elaborate responses from candidates. It’s very useful to have at least one person on the interview team who is familiar with the skill set required for the applicant’s position.
Not pre-screening candidates. Short phone calls to pre-screen candidates can save your company hundreds of wasted hours. Phone screening allows you to weed out candidates who lack the specific knowledge you need, whose salary expectations don’t fit your offer, or whose personality just isn’t a good fit for your organization.
Expecting too much from the job candidate. Too often these days employer’s are looking for miracle workers for their companies. Just take a look at some current position descriptions. Many of them include an unrealistic laundry list of diverse qualifications. arrow your focus to the key areas you are looking for , and you’re more likely to keep an employee who is strong in those key areas, rather than someone who can do a little of everything, but has none of the skills mastered.
Evaluating personality over job skills. All too often, the candidate with the better skill-set and more relevant experience loses out to the one whose personality makes a better impression on the job search team. The problem with this is twofold. First, nervousness can make candidates act differently during the interview than they would on the job, and second, a great personality without the necessary skills will surely not do the job as well. You’re not hiring for a social club. Hopefully, you are looking for the most qualified candidate for the position.
Relying on only interviews when evaluating a candidate. In a University of Michigan study titled “The Validity and Utility of Alternative Predictors of Job Performance” it was found that the typical interview only increases your chances of choosing the best candidate by 2%. This is why other factors, like references, portfolios, and skill-testing should also be used.
Failure to adequately describe the job position. When looking to hire, it’s important you have planned for and written out a focused, detailed job description to screen potential candidates around. This will keep your hiring decisions focused on the right skills and abilities and also let potential recruits know whether they fit the criteria as well, before they apply.
Staffing decisions, especially technical staffing is difficult, time-consuming, and overwhelming. However, hiring the wrong people for the wrong reasons is one of the costliest mistakes you can make as a small business owner. Poor hiring decisions can lead to low employee morale, angry customers, and the high cost of re-hiring and re-training. For this reason, you may want to consider hiring a technical staffing firm with expertise in the types of positions you are looking to fill. A good staffing firm trains to manage the hiring process effectively and find the most suitable candidates for your business.
At Northwest Computer Support, we have several experts on staff to help your company manage its technical staffing needs. Contact Us today for a consultation.